Watchdog rebukes Blair over spin

A Westminster watchdog has rebuked Prime Minister Tony Blair for his refusal to comply with its recommendations to curb the power of special advisers and spin doctors.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life warned that Mr Blair's decision to reject some of its advice risked politicising the civil service and would increase the powers of politically-appointed special advisers over neutral officials.

In a strongly-worded statement, the committee, chaired by Sir Nigel Wicks, condemned the decision as "a seriously missed opportunity to enhance public trust in the processes of government".

In a report earlier this year, the committee issued a series of recommendations to protect the tradition of neutrality in the civil service and limit the influence of political appointees.

It said Parliament should set a limit on the number of special advisers and MPs should have the final say on whether the Prime Minister's top advisers should be given the power to issue orders to civil servants.

In its response, published on Thursday, the Government agreed to appoint an independent "ethics adviser" to help ministers resolve conflicts of interest and to draw up a new code of conduct for ministers' special advisers.

But Mr Blair refused to bow to the demand that executive powers over civil servants currently exercised by up to three advisers in Downing Street should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

The Prime Minister said the Government had accepted "the majority" of the committee's recommendations, adding: "A strong, effective, politically impartial civil service is a great national asset.

"In general, the relationships between ministers, special advisers, permanent civil servants, work extremely well. But we agree with the committee that a number of further sensible, practical steps can be taken."

But in a statement issued just hours after Mr Blair's announcement, Sir Nigel said: "The committee has doubts whether the measures described in the Government's response will, taken together, bring the necessary clarity about the proper boundaries within the executive between ministers, special advisers and the permanent civil service and the right degree of security about their maintenance.

"In short, we believe that the Government's response represents a seriously missed opportunity to enhance public trust in the processes of government."